


Inevitable Truth

by WriteReal



Series: Inevitable Truth [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: AU, Alpha/Omega, Angst, Dig is happy, F/M, Love Confessions, Semi-Canon Compliant, Smut, Unrequited Love, season two, trope
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-10-25 09:53:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17722949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WriteReal/pseuds/WriteReal
Summary: Alpha and Omega, but don't dismiss it. It's time for Olicity to face their feelings when biology pushes the issue. They love each other. It's not as complicated as they have made it. Dig is so happy. Let's go.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, it's a trope, but it really is consistent with the characters. Around season 2, but obviously AU.

Felicity had learned the hard way that there were some things in life that you just had to accept. Her father leaving, her being ostracized because she was the smartest one in the room, and keeping her role on team Arrow being a secret were just three of the things that she had accepted. One thing that she still hadn't reconciled herself to was being an Omega.

During her childhood she hadn’t kidded herself into thinking she would be an Alpha. In fact, she wasn’t convinced it was all it was cracked up to be. Always having to be the person in charge, or having to size yourself up against any other Alpha around didn’t sound appealing to her. However, she had also been equally sure that she would not be an Omega. Omegas were emotional. They felt things more deeply, were empathetic, and used those skills to support and calm those around them, especially Alphas. That was not her. She was about facts and tech and she only truly came to life when she was immersed in her digital world.

So, presenting as an Omega during her first year at MIT had been a horrific, paralyzing blow. She’d used the money she’d saved from working weekends in the computer lab and flew her mother out to Boston. Her mother was an Omega, but unlike Felicity, she had known from birth that was what she was, and she embraced it. She was shocked that her daughter was an Omega and not a Beta as they had both expected.

So Felicity started taking suppressants and kept her Omega status quiet. While there were strides towards treating Omegas equally in the workplace, the truth was that there were still far too many Neanderthals, men and women, who thought Omegas were weak and less than. Even though it sucked to have people be intimidated by her intelligence, she was proud of her big brain and being excluded was far preferable to being treated like a floor mat because she was an Omega.

The first few years she had railed against her situation. Mother Nature had made a big, big mistake. There were people who were certain that their presentation was wrong and they chose to live as whatever designation felt right to them. It was a tough road to thwart your own biology, and as appalled as she was to be an Omega, Felicity knew that was what she was. She didn’t have to like it, and she didn’t have to live it, but it was part of who she was.

Over the years she had settled into taking the suppressants and using the body wash and shampoo that further disguised her Omega scent. Her mother and a couple of friends from MIT knew, and that was it. The one boyfriend she had told – Cooper – had sworn that it didn’t change anything for him, but it hadn’t been true. The changes had been small at first, and she had tried to write them off as her being paranoid. By the end of their relationship, Felicity knew that he would never see her as his equal no matter that she was smarter and better at coding. She had kept it to herself during the small handful of relationships she’d had since then. If – when – she found the right person, she would tell them, and it really wouldn’t make a difference to him. 

Now that she was working with Dig and Oliver, she felt it was even more important to keep her status to herself. Oliver was an Alpha – of course he was – and Dig was a Beta but a very strong one. He held his own with Oliver and every other Alpha he had ever gone up against. There had been a lot of other Alphas among their support team and among their enemies. Sarah was a very strong Alpha. Isabel – and how she hated that bitch – had been one. Moira Queen had certainly been one. Malcolm Merlyn. Slade Wilson. She shuddered and turned her thoughts away from all of them.

However, for all of her meds and body washes, she could only deny her biology so long. Her suppressants tamped down her twice a year heats, and the extra medication given during that week helped her ride it out with very little discomfort and more importantly, without outing herself as an Omega. But every couple of years or so she had to let the heat run its full course. Her doctor blood tested her every six months to see where her hormones were at. She’d been warned at the last appointment that she was going to have to let the next heat happen. The consequence of ignoring the surging hormones would damage her fertility. It was a long way off, but one day Felicity did want to be a mother.

The last time she had had to go through the heat had been before she was totally immersed in team Arrow, so she hadn’t had to make any excuses. This time she was going to have to be creative. She had told Oliver and Dig that she really needed to visit her mother in Vegas, and that she was going to take a week off. Knowing how her mother stressed Felicity out, both Oliver and Dig had arched an eyebrow at her, but she had babbled about needing to be a better daughter and her mother being alone, and they had both nodded and said they would survive without her. She had augmented her story by saying that she had to wait for her mother to get time off work before she could go and so when she did leave it would be rather last minute. Again the guys had nodded their understanding.

Now, her heat was here, and it was time to implement operation Hide The Truth from her two best friends. In truth, she kind of wished she was going to Vegas. There was something about going through a heat that made her want to be near her mom. This would be the fifth time that she had gone through a full heat. There were certain parts of it that were enjoyable – hello enhanced sensations during sex – but she wasn’t entirely comfortable with how out of control she felt. She had no shame about her increased sex drive, but it was still unsettling to unleash those desires with someone she didn’t have a relationship with. Thank every deity ever imagined that there were Omega centers to make it all so much easier than trying to pick up a fuck buddy at a local bar.

Felicity sighed, and tossed the last outfit in her small suitcase. The truth was, she wasn’t going to be wearing much for the next few days, but she wasn’t really the lounge-around-in-the-buff type of girl, so when she and Mr. Alpha were taking a break, she wanted to at least be dressed decently. She scooped up her tablet, phone, and keys and turned to glance around her apartment one more time before she left. As she was waling up to her car, her phone rang, and Oliver’s name popped up on the display. Juggling the luggage, tablet, and keys, she picked up the call.

“Hey,” she said. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Oliver said easily. “We haven’t fallen apart yet.”

She snorted at him and rolled her eyes as she used the key fob to unlock her car. “That is not what I meant,” she said although that was exactly what she meant.

“Uh huh,” Oliver said. “No, I was calling to see if you needed a ride to the airport. Your flight leaves in a couple of hours, right?”

“Um, yeah,” Felicity wracked her brain trying to remember what time she had told them her flight was leaving. “I think it might be delayed, though. They sent me a text.”

“Okay. When do you want me to pick you up?”

Panic flared inside Felicity. She was off the suppressants and hadn’t bothered using the shampoo and body wash this morning since she was going to the center. Oliver would not only know she was an Omega from 20 feet away, he’d know she was in heat as well. That absolutely could not happen.

“It’s fine. I’m taking my car. I prefer having it at the airport when I get back.”

“It’s going to cost you a fortune to leave it there,” Oliver said. “I can just drop you off.”

“But I don’t like having to find a ride when I get back, and I’ll probably be on a red eye so it’s just easier if I have my car.”

Oliver snorted. “Right. Because Dig and I go to bed so early.”

She winced at the eye roll in his voice, and bit her lip. Damnit. Why did her brain have to desert her now when she needed it most? Ugh. She was just going to have to power through.

“Thanks, Oliver. I appreciate it, but I really prefer to drive myself. I’m actually already in the car, so—“

“I’m two blocks away,” he inserted. “I can be there—“

“No!” she said in her almost-loud voice. “I-I, it’s fine, Oliver. I need to go or I’ll miss my flight. Bye.”

She disconnected the call and slumped against the side of the car. Sometimes Oliver was a little too Alpha. She grimaced. Who was she kidding? Oliver was always too much Alpha. 

She opened the driver’s door and slid into the car. She heaved a heavy sigh and turned the ignition. She couldn’t wait to get to the center and settle in. All this sneaking around behind her best friends’ backs was exhausting. She put the car in gear and pulled out of her parking spot.

She was almost to the street when Oliver pulled into the parking lot on his bike and stopped next to her window. Panic flooded her brain, and she knew her mouth was hanging open, her wide eyes staring at him. What the hell was he doing?! Frak! Frakety frak frak frak!

He unbuckled the helmet and pulled it off, his curious and concerned eyes pinning her to the seat. What is heaven’s name could she do? Opening the window was not – NOT – an option. She tried to lick her lips and found that her mouth was too dry. They stared at each other, his eyes getting more and more concerned, hers getting more and more desperate.

Think, Felcity! Think! She closed her eyes and willed her pulse and breathing to slow. She could handle this. She could find a way to leave without actually opening the door or rolling down the window. Call him, she could call him! That wouldn’t be too weird, right? It would-

Oliver knocked on the window and she jumped, her eyes flying back open. He was still on the bike, but stood while straddling it. The look on his face told her he was not going to accept just a phone call. Nope. She was going to have to talk to him.

She reached over and turned off the air conditioning so it wouldn’t blow her scent around. Then she took in a deep breath, and rolled the window halfway down.

“Felicity,” he said with a stern voice. “What is going on? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“I’m just in a hurry,” she said, her finger on the button to put the window back up. “I’ll see you when I get back.” She pushed the button and before the window had moved half an inch he grabbed the top of it and she let go of the button, flinching away from the closeness of his hand. Oh frack. Scents worked both ways. His Alpha essence hit her right between the eyes.

“Felicity,” he said, lowering his voice to near Arrow levels. “Something is wrong. You’re scared. Tell me-“

“Nothing is wrong. I swear it!” she said, praying that he would believe her. “I just need to go.” Blind panic was setting in. Sweat beaded along her brow. No, no, no. Sweating was bad. Very bad.

“Felicity-“

“Oliver!” She snapped. “Let go of the damned window.” She started to ease her foot off the brake and the car inched forward. Before she could blink, he dropped the kickstand, swung off the bike and yanked open her door.

“Oliver!” she shrieked and slammed the car into park before he got both of them killed. “Stop it. I am going to be late!”

He crouched down next to her and she ducked her head to avoid his eyes. Damn his controlling, overbearing Alpha ways. Couldn’t the man, just once, take something at face value and leave it be? Why did he always have to be so bullheaded and obstinate about everything?

“I am not letting you go anywhere until you tell me…” Out of the corner of her eye she saw his eyes widen, and then he took in a deep breath and his pupils dilated. His mouth hung open for a moment before he snapped it shut, but his eyes were still wide and getting rapidly darker.

“You’re an—“

“Omega,” she snapped, bringing her eyes up to his. She was embarrassed and pissed and she actually fisted her hands because right now she really wanted to slap the surprise off his face. “Yes, I know. I did not want you to know, however, but as usual you have to have things your way. I told you I didn’t need – didn’t want – a ride to the airport, but of course, that wasn’t good enough for you, so you showed up anyway and stuck your nose in where it doesn’t belong.”

“I was worried! Both Dig and I thought something was off about this trip. It seemed like something was bothering you, but you were hiding it.”

“Yes!” she all but shrieked at him. “Yes, I was hiding it, as is my right to do! You, of all people, cannot fault someone for keeping secrets, or wanting some privacy. You are the king of secrets. Did it not occur to you that I didn’t want to share with the class? That maybe I just wanted to be left alone?”

He reared back like she had hit him, and raised a hand, palm out, acknowledging that he had overstepped. “I’m sorry,” he stuttered. “You’re right. I should have minded my own business. I was just worried, and, I..I didn’t think.”

“Thank you. Normally I would relish an Oliver Queen apology, but I really do need to go.”

He blinked a couple of times as if he were dazed and then ran a hand through his short hair. He looked back at her through lowered lashes. “You’re not going to the airport, right? Because that would-“

She rolled her eyes. “Oliver, they wouldn’t even let me on the plane. Of course, I’m not going to the airport.”

He frowned. “You’re not going…to a…center, are you?”

And just like that she was livid. Livid! She did not need to explain herself to anyone, much less someone who had just outed her secret against her will. She leaned forward until they were literally nose-to-nose, her blue eyes glaring into his. She heard his sharp intake of breath and was pleased to see him pull back a little. 

“That is none of your. Fracking. Business! Do not even think about commenting, judging, or objecting to my decisions. This does not concern you. Am I clear?” She pinned him with her gaze, waiting for him to agree. If he didn’t, Google help her, she was going to strangle him with her bare hands, uber-yummy Alpha scent or not. Damn mother nature to fracking hell!

“Yes,” he murmured, licking his lips. “I didn’t mean—I’m sorry. I—oh shit – I really fucked up.”

“Two apologies in one day,” she muttered. “It must be the End Days.”

He grimaced and ran his fingers through his hair. “I just, uh, I’m sorry that you felt like you needed to hide this. I thought we were better friends than that.”

“It’s my decision who I tell,” she said coolly, willing herself to breathe and relax. A knot was forming at the base of her skull, and she knew it would bloom into a pounding headache within minutes. She just needed to get to the center. “This is not about not trusting you or anything like that. I refuse to be defined or limited by my biology.” She sighed. “So, please just go back to the bunker, and I will see you in about a week.”

He started to stand up, but abruptly went back down on his haunches. There was an odd look on his face; a mixture of fear and determination. “Felicity—“ he started.

“Don’t,” she warned him. “Whatever you’re going to say, don’t. I’m leaving now. Get back on your bike, Oliver.”

“Okay,” he said quietly, and stood and stepped back. She reached for the door, but he was already closing it for her. She nodded, put the car in gear and pulled out onto the street, refusing to watch him watching her leave.


	2. Captain Oblivious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver is unhinged and Dig...he's done with this nonsense.

Dig watched, half concerned and half amused, as Oliver demolished another boxing dummy. He’d been at it for over an hour. His chest was heaving and sweat covered every inch of him, but the murderous look on his face had not lessened at all. Dig shook his head. He had wondered a couple of times if Felicity might be an Omega. For all her smarts, and she had those in spades, she led with her heart, and her heart was very big and very soft. He hadn’t ever gotten a whiff of anything Omega about her scent, but then as a Beta, he wasn’t as tuned into it as an Alpha would be.

Oliver, on the other hand, might not have ever allowed himself to wonder if Felicity was an Omega, just as he would not allow himself to admit that he was totally in love with the woman. Dig had been watching these two dance around each other for two years, and he continued to be amazed at how stubbornly they could ignore reality and cling to the illusion that they were nothing more than friends and co-workers. So, poor Oliver was in shock. He was rocked down to his bones, and as was usually the case, he was not handling surprise well.

Dig sighed and looked at his watch. He needed to get Oliver to stop before he seriously hurt himself. They were already down a team member, and he didn’t relish the idea of being the Arrow for the week because Caption Oblivious had broken his hand.

“Man, Oliver, that’s enough. Take a break before you break something important. Like your hand.”

Oliver shot him a nasty look and continued to pummel the dummy. Dig sighed again, walked over to the mini fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. He walked up to Oliver and stuck the bottle in his face. Oliver reared back and glared at him. 

“You are not doing yourself and or anyone else any favors, Oliver. Drink some water and catch your breath. You’ve had a nice long tantrum; time to chill for a while.”

Oliver glared even harder at him and snatched the bottle out of Dig’s hand. He tore off the cap and gulped it down in one go before recapping it and tossing it to the floor. He turned back to the dummy and raised his bruised and bloody hands.

“Which part bothers you the most?” Dig asked softly. “The fact that she’s an Omega, the fact that she didn’t tell you, or the fact that she’s spending her heat at a center with some random Alpha?”

Oliver spun to face him and got right up in his face. Oliver was tall and muscular, but Dig was more of both, and he was not one iota intimidated by the heaving, growling Alpha in front of him. He met Oliver’s glare calmly, his body relaxed, hoping his calm would help bring Oliver down. They faced off for several moments before Oliver spun around and strode towards his bow and quiver.

“All three then,” Dig said, letting some of his amusement seep into his tone. “I’m kind of surprised you didn’t wonder about the Omega thing once or twice. She’s a certified genius and all, but she’s also the most loving, compassionate person-“

“I did wonder,” Oliver snapped, dropping the quiver over his shoulder and walking to the far end of the room where he kept the tennis balls he so loved to impale. “But since she never said anything, I just assumed she was a Beta.”

“Right,” Dig said. “Because it’s so easy being a woman and an Omega in the working world. Add in working with an extremely overbearing Alpha, and why wouldn’t she tell you?”

Oliver wheeled around. “We’re friends,” he said. “I trust her. Obviously, she doesn’t trust me. And don’t you think this is something we should know about someone we work so closely with? It impacts the whole team!”

“No it doesn’t, “ Dig said calmly. “It’s not like an Omega turns into a mindless ball of hormones when they go through a heat, even if they are going through a full heat. Felicity could sit right there at that station and still do her job to perfection just like she always does. She chose not to. That’s her right, as it is her right to keep her presentation to herself.”

“Bullshit,” Oliver growled. “She couldn’t sit there and run coms and be Overwatch in the middle of a heat.”

“Oh yes she could,” Dig shot back. “She could totally handle it. You’re the one who wouldn’t be able to handle it, Oliver. It would drive you out of your mind. You’d probably wind up accidentally shooting yourself with one of your own arrows, man. She did us a huge favor by choosing to take the week off. Hell, she’s not even here and you’ve lost your marbles.”

“I know how to control myself around an Omega in heat,” Oliver insisted. “I’m just pissed.”

“Bullshit,” Dig came right back at him. “Can you control yourself around any Omega in heat? Sure. Around Felicity in heat?” He laughed and shook his head. “No way. You wouldn’t last thirty minutes.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Oliver snarled at him. “You think I would throw her over my shoulder and drag her off to my cave or something? You really think so little of me?”

Dig shook his head as he closed the distance between them until he stood right in front of his brother. “No, I know you wouldn’t do that. But if she was sitting right here, in a full-on heat, it would make you face up to all those feelings about her that you don’t want to face.”

“Dig,” Oliver said warningly.

“Nah,” Dig said. “You love her. You’ve loved her for a long time, but you are too stubborn and too scared to admit it to yourself, much less her. And she’s as bad as you are. I’ve been watching you two do this dance, and for the life of me I can’t figure out why you two don’t just admit how you feel and get together. Even if it didn’t work out – and for the record I think it would work out if you’d both get your heads out of your asses – but even if it didn’t work out, it would still be easier than you two continuing to wallow in your misery.”

Oliver opened his mouth to retort and found he had nothing to say. He couldn’t say that he didn’t love Felicity, because he did. He couldn’t say that he hadn’t been scared, because he was.

“She doesn’t love me,” he croaked out. “And even if she did, she deserves a whole helluva lot better man than me.”

“That’s for her to decide,” Dig said softly. “But she’d not going to make the first move, and that has nothing to do with any Alpha or Omega thing. That’s just who Felicity is. If you want her, you have to ask.”

Oliver licked his lips and dropped his bow on the table. He ran both of his hands through his sweaty hair and yanked on the strands in frustration. He didn’t what to do, and what was worse was that there really wasn’t anything he could do. She was gone, for a week, and during that week she would be in a full heat having sex with some Alpha who actually made a living helping Omegas resolve their heats. The very idea that some other man – some other Alpha – would get to be with her made him want to punch things until he didn’t feel like he was dying inside.

He shouldn’t have waited. He should have sucked it up and asked her out and tried to see if they could make it work. She deserved better. He knew that. But he couldn’t stand the idea of any other man having her heart, sharing her life. She wasn’t his, but he desperately wanted her to be. God, how could he have fucked this up so spectacularly? He’d breached her privacy, embarrassed and infuriated her, and now when all he wanted to do was beg her for a chance, she was out of reach and with another man. 

Oliver whirled around, grabbed his bow and threw it as hard as he could. It hit the far wall and fell to the ground with a clatter.

“Call her,” Dig said quietly. 

Oliver turned to look at him. “I can’t,” he said, gritting his teeth. “I doubt she would pick up the phone if I did call, but even then, that’s just not…right. She made her decision.”

“So let her make another one. Two, actually. Let her decide if she wants to take the call. If she does, let her decide how she feels about what you say.”

“What am I supposed to say?” Oliver demanded. “Hi. I know I invaded your privacy and you probably never want to see me again, but I just wanted to let you know that I’m in love with you, and I can’t stand the idea of you being with another man.”

“That works,” Dig said, and arched an eyebrow at Oliver’s glare. “C’mon, man. Now is not the time for hearts and flowers. Put it out there. Let her decide.”

“It’s not fair,” Oliver protested, even as his heart leaped at the idea of her possibly saying yes. “Her hormones-“

“Do not short-circuit her brain. And while it would certainly be understandable for an Omega to wonder if an Alpha is just giving her a line to get laid, Felicity knows you respect her and wouldn’t do that. So, go big or go home, Oliver.”

Oliver stared at him, fear, longing, and consideration flashing across his face. He scrubbed his face with both hands. “What if she says no?” he asked softly. “What do I do then?”

“When she gets back, you go with the hearts and flowers,” Dig said. “You wine and dine and woo until she comes to her senses.”

Oliver shot him a look. “You’re awfully confident that she wants this with me.”

Dig threw his head and back and laughed. When he saw Oliver’s scowl, he laughed even harder.

“Oh man,” Dig said, as he clapped a hand on Oliver’s shoulder. “I wish I could place a bet on this, because I would become a rich man overnight.” He squeezed Oliver’s shoulder. “Go take a shower and then call her.”

“You’re sure?” Oliver hated that he sounded scared, but he was terrified.

“Yeah,” Dig said. “Go on. You can’t talk to a girl smelling like that.”

Oliver rolled his eyes and turned towards the bathroom. Dig shook his head until Oliver turned the corner and then he pulled out his phone and pulled up Felicity’s number.

Hey. He’s going to call you in a bit. Do us all a favor and answer, okay?

Felicity: Why?

Just please trust me.

Felicity: Okay. 

Thanks.

He put away the phone and strode over to Felicity’s babies and sat down in her chair. He would keep an eye on things solo tonight. He had a feeling both of his teammates were going to be otherwise occupied.


	3. OMG! OMG! But, Felicity is the best

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He makes the call. She doesn't know what to think. Does the big, bad Arrow have the guts?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What I wanted to see on the show. Oliver brings it; finally. Is it enough?

Oliver stared at his phone lying innocently on the steel table. He would have been less scared to pick it up if it were a hissing cobra spitting venom at him. He paced down the side of the table and up the other side. Dig had gone out to run a quick ‘errand’ giving Oliver privacy to make the call. 

He tried to figure out what to say to her, but nothing made any sense. Every time he tried to even begin to think of what to say his brain just went to white noise. There was no way this wasn’t going to piss her off, insult her, or worse still, horrify her. He paced along the table faster, his chest so tight he wondered if he might be having a heart attack. If he screwed this up – and let’s be frank he usually did screw up anything that involved words – he could lose her forever. Not just the chance at having the relationship that he wanted, but he could lose his friend and team member. It was too much to risk. That was what he had been saying for two years. It was too big of a risk.

Then he remembered Dig’s certainty that this was also what Felicity wanted. The timing was bad, but if he did nothing he didn’t know how he would get through the week. He was already contemplating breaking into the center. He didn’t imagine Felicity would appreciate him beating the crap out of the Alpha she was spending the week with.

His chest seized up even harder as he imagined walking in on her with another man. He had been with Omegas during their heats before. He knew just how intense those urges and feelings were. There were two ways to handle a heat – either it was just a physical thing with no strings attached, or it was an intense, emotional bonding. He had never allowed the latter, not even with Laurel who had wanted nothing more. He had done his utmost to satisfy the women he’d been with – and enjoyed every single minute of it – but he had used that physicality to distract them from the emotional.

He honestly couldn’t imagine Felicity having no-strings-attached sex with a stranger, but he certainly didn’t think less of her for it. An unmated Omega had to resolve her heats, and there was no way around it. That didn’t mean that it wasn’t killing him to think of her doing just that. 

He paced around more, trying to talk himself into picking up the phone. His nose told him that her heat was just starting. She probably wouldn’t call for the Alpha until later tonight or even tomorrow morning. He needed to make the call now. He didn’t know what he was going to say, or even what he wanted to happen. He just needed to tell her how he felt and how sorry he was for invading her privacy. 

He stopped and eyed the phone. Go big or go home. He picked up the phone and chose the number at the top of his favorites list. He closed his eyes as the phone started to ring and prayed that he didn’t screw this up.

 

Felicity sat back deeper into the couch as she read about the latest scandal in Hollywood. It was a rare luxury to actually sit and read the news these days. She used to be a total news junkie, but becoming someone instrumental in some of the events being reported tended to take up a lot of time. She scrolled through more of the articles, avoiding anything too heavy or depressing. She had enough whirling around in her mind as it was.

She could feel the heat getting stronger. So far she was fine, but based on previous experiences she figured she probably had about 8 hours before she would tell them to send him up. Her eyes flicked to the photo on top of the folder they’d given her at check-in. He went by the name Sam but she doubted that was his real name. He’d been at the center for a little over a year and the staff said they hadn’t heard one bad thing about him from any of the Omegas he had been with. He was saving up money to go back and finish medical school, and was known for being charming and sweet. Since he was a med student, she figured he had to be pretty smart, and he was certainly easy on the eyes. His sandy blonde hair was wavy and his blue eyes looked kind. He was tall and played soccer, so he was in good shape. From all the Alphas that had been available, he was definitely her first choice. She had been lucky in the past to get good Alphas, but she had also always been very up front and direct about she did and didn’t want. Some Omegas – women and men – wanted more physicality than she did. She didn’t want it rough and she certainly didn’t want to be tied down or anything like that. 

She eyed her silent phone and bit her lip. She had been surprised and unnerved by Dig’s cryptic texts forty minutes ago. She didn’t really want to talk to Oliver, but Dig wouldn’t have asked her to accept the call unless it was important. Most likely, Oliver had gone back to the bunker and started punching or arrowing things and Dig wanted her to talk him down. She winced, realizing that Dig probably knew what Oliver was upset about. She wasn’t angry that Oliver had told him; if one knew the other should, but she didn’t relish having to look Dig in the eye the first day back. They were good friends, but they didn’t talk about their sex lives.

The phone sounded and she jumped, dropping her tablet. She bent over to retrieve it from the floor and felt her heart start to pound. Oliver’s name appeared on the screen, and she reluctantly reached for it. She had no idea what she was going to say other than to accept his apology, tell him not to worry about it, and get off the phone as quickly as possible.

She picked up the phone and answered the call.

“Hello.”

“Hi,” Oliver’s voice wavered and he cleared his throat. “I, uh, I didn’t know if you would answer.”

“Well, I did,” she said crisply, and then frowned. No, this was not what she was supposed to do. She was supposed to make him feel better, not worse.

“Yeah. Thank you.” He sighed heavily. “Look, I just wanted to tell you again how sorry I am that I invaded your privacy. It was stupid and thoughtless, and I really think you should have punched me in the face because I deserved it.”

“I thought about it, but I’d probably just have broken my hand,” she said blandly. “You brawn, me brain, remember?”

He chuckled weakly. “Yeah, but still.”

She sighed. 

“Oliver, look it’s okay. I know you were just concerned and doing your whole over protective thing which I usually am fine with, okay? It’s nice to know that someone has my back and is worried about me. So, please don’t focus on this. It’s done, it’s over, and I forgive you. It was an honest mistake.”

She heard Oliver’s exhale and waited to see if he was going to accept her forgiveness. The man really did rather like to flog himself, but she was hoping he would just let this go. She didn’t want to ever have to talk about this again, and she wanted to end this call as quickly as she could.

“Thank you, “ he said quietly. “I promise I will to try and not step over the line again.”

“That’s great. So, I’m glad you called, and I’m glad that I answered. So, I’ll see you next week-“

“Wait!” Oliver sounded vaguely panicked and Felicity felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. This was not what she expected. He had apologized, she had accepted and forgiven him, and now he had to want to get off the phone as quickly as she did. Right?

“Felicity, I..damn it!” Oliver muttered. “I suck at words and more so when it’s over the phone. I want to talk to you about something. I need to tell you something, but I don’t know how to say it.”

“Okay,” she said quietly, her mind whirring with possibilities. What could he need to tell her so urgently that it couldn’t wait a few days? And why was he so nervous about it? The tingle at the back of her neck morphed into a full body shiver.

He sighed and she could hear a thumping noise. Was Oliver banging his head against something? She couldn’t even imagine.

“Just tell me,” she said, and this time her voice wavered. Oh god. Was he going to tell her he didn’t want her on the team anymore? That he couldn’t work with an Omega? A lump formed in her throat. That was it. He was telling her she was off the team. She took a deep breath and tears pricked in her eyes. “You want me off the team, right?” She tried and failed to keep the pain out of her voice. “Because I’m an Omega. You don’t want to work-“

“What?! No!” Oliver shouted. “No, absolutely not. That is not what I want to talk to you about. Felicity, there is no team without you. There is no Arrow without you.”

Felicity sat back stunned into silence. Oliver thought she was that important? He was the one that called the shots. He and John were the ones on the front lines every night. Yes, she got them into and out of where they needed to be, but they had started without her, and they could go on without her.

“Felicity, listen to me,” Oliver said urgently. “That thought has not crossed my mind. Not. At. All. I don’t even know why you would think that. And if you try to quit I will sic Dig on you.”

Felicity laughed and swiped at her eyes.

“Not everyone likes working with Omegas. A lot of people think we’re unreliable because we’re so ‘emotional’ or they think we’ve got some sort of voodoo mind control over Alphas. What our team does is life or death, so if you don’t feel you can trust an Omega, you wouldn’t be the first to feel that way.”

“Felicity, I trust you with my life every night. You being an Omega changes none of that. Yes, you are emotional. It’s one of the things I love most about you. You always find the bright side. You always find the good in someone. You’ve even managed to find some in me.”

“There is a lot of good in you,” she said fiercely. “I know you say you’re not a hero, but you are, Oliver. More than anyone else I’ve ever known.”

“Actually,” Oliver said, his voice getting very soft. “I’m a coward. When I can’t handle something I just turn away from it. I don’t face my fears. I run from them.”

Felicity frowned. What in the world was he talking about?

“Oliver, you went through five years in hell and you’ve been dealing with the ugliest parts of society in the years since you’ve come back. So, I don’t know what it is you think you can’t handle, but you are not a coward.”

Oliver cleared his throat. “I can chase down and put arrows in bad guys without a problem, Felicity. What I’m afraid of is how I feel… about you.”

Felicity gasped. She stared out the window at the darkening sky, her eyes seeing his face in her mind, trying to imagine what his expression was like right now.

“What?” she breathed. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that I have been telling myself for two years that I couldn’t have a relationship with someone I could really care about because I don’t know if I can without screwing it up. Your friendship means everything to me, so I’m afraid to risk it. I’m afraid to ask you for more because maybe I’ll ruin it, or maybe you’re not interested, or-“

Felicity’s heart was pounding so hard she could barely hear what Oliver was saying. She couldn’t do this. Not this way.

“Oliver, stop. Shut up,” Felicity said firmly. “We are not having this conversation over the phone.”

“Felicity-“

She could hear the panic in his voice and she had to close that down right now. “There is a Japanese garden at the back of the center. Meet me at the fountain in thirty minutes.”

Oliver gasped. “Felicity, you can’t go out at night now. It’s too dangerous.”

“It’s part of the center; inside the gates. I’ll tell the guard to let you in. Tell him your name is Jonas.”

“I, Felicity, are you sure? I mean, I know now is not the greatest time for you.”

“We are not having this conversation over the phone,” she said again. “I assume you know where the center is?”

It was more than a simple question. The center didn’t just have Alphas on staff to help Omegas, they also rented out rooms to Omegas who wanted to complete their heat in privacy with their own Alphas. It wouldn’t be unusual for Oliver to have come here with an Omega. He certainly would have had plenty of women who would have wanted him.

“I’ve never been there,” Oliver said firmly. “I know where it is, but I’ve never been inside.”

Felicity let out a relieved breath. She didn’t know why it mattered if he had been here, but it did. 

“Then I’ll see you when you get here.”

“I’m on my way,” Oliver said and they disconnected.

Unless the heat was messing with her mind, and she was reading too much into this, Oliver wanted to be in a relationship with her. He had feelings for her. She doubted that they were as strong as her feelings for him. She had been in love with him for two years. But, if he wanted to give them a chance, she would, too. She knew that their friendship could endure even if their romance didn’t. It would be excruciating, but they would do it for each other. 

The thing was; why now? Why did knowing she was am Omega make a difference? Or was it her having her heat that was making the difference? Oliver was a really strong Alpha. His instincts and thoughts, his protectiveness and fierceness were pure Alpha, and Alphas were drawn to Omegas to balance them and temper those instincts. If Oliver wanted her as an Omega to bridle his Alpha she couldn’t do that. As she had said to him earlier, her biology did not define her, and it wasn’t going to define her relationships either. If he wanted her, then she was ready to try. If he wanted an Omega, it would break her heart, but her answer would be no.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think? Should I continue? I have two more chapters written, but I'm not sure you want to see them? Too much trope? Been seen before? Talk to me! No Twitter or tumblr. I'm old school.


	4. Yes. Yes. No. Yes. No. No. Yes!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver arrives at the shelter and they have 'the' talk. Fair warning, this chapter gets an M rating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to the wonderful comments and requests, I am posting the next chapter. I will edit and post the next one in a couple of days. Let me know what you think. I'm probably going to set up a Twitter and a Tumblr. I'll add info when I do.

Oliver pulled into the secluded parking lot and killed the engine on the bike. He told himself on the way over that it was the vibration of the motorcycle that made him shake, but the truth was he was scared to death. He was about to have one of the most important conversations of his life, and he had no idea what was going to happen. A few hours ago she had been furious with him, and now she was willing to listen. Only Felicity could be that forgiving.

He pulled off the helmet and locked it to the bike. The guard at the gate was watching him, but not overly much. He was probably used to Alphas, on staff or not, arriving at all hours. Oliver felt a flutter in his gut, knowing that the guard and anyone else who saw him would assume that he was here to be with an Omega during her heat. If only. He would give an arm to be that person for Felicity, and not just now, but for the rest of their lives.

He strode over to the guard booth, trying not to think of how he would begin the conversation with her. He kept trying to come up with a plan, an outline of what he would say and his mind just couldn’t get around it. He was going to have to just let it come out, and hope he didn’t mangle it too much. 

Oliver nodded at the guard. 

“I’m Jonas,” he said confidently. There was a good chance the guard would recognize him, but the center was known for its discretion. If word got out he would put an arrow in whoevers lips were loose. Felicity would be mortified if she wound up in the gossip columns.

The guard nodded.

“You’re on the list.” He pushed a button and the wrought iron gates parted.

“Thanks,” Oliver said. He was about to wish the guard a good night and thought better of it. What could the guy say back; ‘you too?’ fully expecting that Oliver was here to have a week of mind-blowing sex. Yeah, they could just sidestep that conversation.

He followed the winding path until he got to a Y. To the right was the five story center, and to the left was a dimly lit garden. He could hear the fountain in the distance. He veered left, feeling sweat break out on his forehead. He wasn’t just nervous about what he was going to say or what she was going to say back, but about how he would react to her rising heat. He had told Diggle the truth; he could control himself just fine around an Omega in heat. Felicity in heat was another matter, as Dig had pointedly told him. This wasn’t just some woman, it was Felicity, and his visceral reaction to her scent back at her apartment had slammed into him like a category 5 hurricane. He had talked about how he thought Felicity’s mind would be affected by her hormones, but the truth was he was he had never felt anything like what her pheromones did to him. 

As the path wound around towards the center of the gardens and the rushing sound of the fountain got louder, Oliver ran his fingers through his hair, hoping the helmet hadn’t messed it up too badly. He’d changed into jeans and a dark green Henley after she’d asked to come over, and doubled up on the deodorant and the mouth wash. He was going to be nervous enough. He didn’t need to be worried that her currently heightened sense of smell would find him offensive. He took a couple of deep breaths, blowing them out, as the sound of the water filled his ears. He rounded one final turn and there she was.

She sat on the wall of the stone fountain that actually looked more like a miniature waterfall. The Japanese lanterns that lined the spherical space cast a warm pink glow on everything below, including her. She was wearing a simple short-sleeved white top and ripped jeans, her hair loose around her shoulders, her face devoid of glasses, and her lips painted a deep shade of magenta. He faltered when he saw that she was barefoot. Her toes and fingers were painted matching shades of dark blue. She was breathtaking.

She heard his steps and turned from the water to look at him. Oliver felt a jolt as their eyes met. Her cheeks were flushed and he could see that her eyes were slightly dilated. He had been right; her full heat would start later tonight, in just a few hours. His gut clenched, wondering if the Alpha she had chosen was already in the building.

She stood up as he approached, and her teeth started to worry at her bottom lip. His eyes flicked down to her lips and then back up to her eyes. She was nervous too, and for a moment they stood awkwardly, both trying to decide what to do next. The wind was carrying her scent away from him, but he could feel the rising heat in her. He wanted to hug her. She was a hugger and he sensed that she wanted the same thing. He stepped closer and opened his arms. She came into them and pressed herself against him. 

His arms enveloped her and he dropped his head to kiss the top of her head. Her scent hit him and his knees went weak. She smelled like sunshine and a warm summer morning. He breathed in deeply, his eyes closed, savoring the smell and the feel of her. If he could have this every day he would die a happy man. His body was roaring to life, his skin starting to burn, his muscles tensing. This was the biology. His Alpha wanted her Omega. He craved her. He wanted to devour and satiate her. He wanted to mark her and make her his. He had felt this before with other women, but not this strongly. He didn’t want Felicity. He needed her. 

Afraid that he would upset or offend her with his body’s reactions, he pulled back. She looked up at him and her eyes were even more dilated than before, the flush on her cheeks deeper. She was feeling the same pull that he was. Neither one of them could stop it, but they could control it, and Oliver vowed to himself, again, that he would do just that. The last thing he wanted her to think was that he was there for a booty call.

“Hi,” she said. She looked down and shifted her weight from foot to foot. “Thank you for coming here. I know someone might recognize you, but they’re really good about confidentiality.”

He nodded, forcing himself to drop his arms. He wanted to keep touching her, but he had to respect boundaries. His breath caught when he saw a flash of disappointment cross her face as he let go.

“I’m not worried about it,” he said. “And if anyone blabs your name I promise you I will put an arrow in them.”

She laughed. “You totally would, wouldn’t you?”

“Damn straight,” he growled. 

“Would you like to go for a walk?” she asked, gesturing to the path that extended beyond the waterfall. “I thought maybe it would make it easier?”

He nodded. “Yes.” He fell in step with her, shortening his stride. In his boots and with her barefoot he towered over her even more than usual. He knew he didn’t intimidate her, though. Not many people scared Felicity Smoak. 

They walked in silence for a few minutes. The gardens were beautiful even at night, and he hoped he would get a chance to see them in the day. He swallowed and shoved his hands into his pockets. Thank god he hadn’t said that out loud. It would have sounded presumptuous. He cleared his throat, desperately trying to figure out where to start. The ball was in his court and he felt like his feet were glued to the floor.

“So,” he said, finally. “I need to warn you right now that I am probably going to stick my foot in my mouth. A lot. I don’t have this planned out. I’m just going to…talk, and hope that I don’t say anything too colossally stupid.”

She reached out and slid her arm through his, their arms brushing as they walked. The wailing anxiety in him settled a bit at her touch. Even before he knew she was an Omega she had always been able to do that to him. 

“The first thing I need you to know is why now, why today is when I am saying this.” He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and saw her nodding. His gut instinct had been right. She was worried about why now. “I’d like to tell you that it has nothing to do with finding out you’re an Omega, but that’s not completely true. What I have to say hasn’t changed. Me saying it now is because I know you’re an Omega.” He took a deep breath. “And, it’s also because of your heat.”

He felt her tense next to him and hated himself for just putting it out there like that. He did not want to hurt her, but he also knew that he had to be completely honest with her or this would not work. 

“I feel awful that I took away your chance to tell me if or when you wanted to. But, I also have to tell you that there is a part of me that is relieved that you’re an Omega.”

Her head jerked up and he met her eyes, not trying to hide his feelings.

“Why?” she asked softly.

“Because even though I had no clue that you were an Omega, you ‘felt’ like one. To me. With me. You take care of people, Felicity. You always have. But I’ve always felt like you’ve gone out of your way to take care of me. I’ve felt like I’ve put a burden on you beyond just asking you to give up your nights to help with my mission. I’ve felt like I’ve caused you to do and be someone that you’re not because I put myself in dangerous situations all the time, and you feel obligated to help me.”

“That’s complete BS,” she said, stopping and turning to look up at him. “You don’t need me to help you, Oliver. I want to. It’s why I’m on the team. Yes, I want to help all those innocent people that we've saved. I want to stop the arch villains and thugs and the drug lords, but I also want to help you. You have done so much. You have saved so many people’s lives. You’ve made so many people’s lives better, including mine.”

She was looking up at him with those beautiful, trusting blue eyes and he wanted to kiss her so badly. He just wanted to pull her up against him and kiss her until they were both breathless and dizzy. He wanted her so much.

“BS or not,” he continued. “That’s why a part of me is glad that you’re an Omega. I don’t know if finding that out under different circumstances would have prompted me to have this conversation or not, but it would have definitely moved it up from the “I can never say this’ timeline that’s been running in my head for more than two years.”

She looked up at him, waiting, and he could see the struggle in her eyes. She wanted to hear what he was going to say, but she was afraid of it at the same time. He had to get this right. He had to at least get this in the ballpark of right. He reached out and took her hands. Fire zipped up his spine as their skin touched and he fought back the need that roared through him.

“When I realized you were starting your heat, and that you were coming to the center, I almost lost my mind.” She winced and he gripped her hands tighter, willing her to keep listening. “Not because you’re an Omega and I’m an Alpha; because you’re Felicity and even though you’re not ‘my Felicity,’ you are my Felicity. I have always been jealous of any man you’ve dated.”

“That’s been a really short list,” she muttered.

“Thank god,” he said, with a small smile, “Because I wanted to put an arrow in every one of them even though I had no right to. So, when I had to face absolutely knowing that you would be with another man, I just lost it. I’m still losing it,” he admitted with an apologetic shrug. “When I asked if you were going to a center, it wasn’t me judging you or trying to tell you what to do. It was me panicking at the thought of you with someone else.”

She leveled him with a look. “Oliver, I’ve gone on a few dates since we met. You’ve had multiple relationships with women, including a woman who conspired with Slade Wilson to take away your company and ruin your life. Why are you jealous all of the sudden?”

He closed his eyes, berating himself for being such a stupid, weak fool. 

“It’s not all of the sudden. Those relationships started out as pathetic attempts to reconnect with the world. I was trying to find something, someone that could reach me.” He smiled sadly. “And I did. I walked into your office and for the first time in five years, I saw a person. Not a target. A person, and when you looked up at me, it felt like the sun was shining on me for the first time in five years.” He laughed softly and squeezed her hands. “You scared the hell out of me. I was used to being alone, to being cold and aloof behind my walls. You tore them down in the first minute we met.”

She rolled her eyes. “You mean when I babbling about your father being dead? I was chewing on a pen!”

“It was red,” he said simply and her mouth rounded into a small O. She hadn’t expected him to remember that moment so clearly, but it was imprinted on his brain and he would never forget it. 

“You made me feel in a way I hadn’t before, and I wasn’t ready for it. So, I turned back to my old ways. I chose women that I knew I wouldn’t be afraid to lose.”

“You re-connected with Laurel,” she reminded him. 

He nodded. 

“I did and it was one of the worst mistakes I’ve made. She was hurting over Tommy, and I was struggling with being back in the city with my family and my old friends, and I went back to what I was used to. I knew it wouldn’t work. Laurel knew it wouldn’t work. We just…leaned on each other.” He looked away for a moment struggling, before he looked back down at her. “And then Tommy died, and we both had so many regrets. I wish I could go back and change it all.”

“I’m not saying that those relationships didn’t mean anything to me. I’m a bastard, but I’m not that much of a bastard. But, as much as I wanted to connect with those women, I knew I wouldn’t. Not really. If you think about it, it’s really ironic. I met you and felt something I had never felt before and I denied it and tried to push those feelings away while trying to find another connection that didn’t scare me so much.”

“And then it became obvious that you were the missing part of the team; that we needed you. So Dig convinced me to tell you who I was, and I told myself that I had a new friend and team member, and that was it. I told myself that a lot, and when I finally admitted to myself that you were a whole lot more, I told myself that you deserved a lot better than me.”

“Oliver,” she whispered.

He shook his head. “I still believe that, but John told me that wasn’t my decision to make. It’s yours.”

Felicity nodded. “He’s right.”

“So,” he said, clearing his throat and hoping he didn’t lose it, “What I am saying is that - that, I love you, and I want us to be more than friends and co-workers. I don’t expect you to make a a decision right now, but-“

His words were silenced by her soft lips pressed against his. He drew in a sharp breath, wondering for a fleeting moment if he was dreaming, and then he kissed her back. Her tongue touched his lips seeking entrance and he gladly gave it. The desire flared in him even as his heart clenched at the sheer joy of finally being able to kiss her; to really kiss her. The fake one at the mansion had made his heart stutter, but he had felt like a total jerk telling her the truth wrapped in the plan to draw out Slade. 

Felicity’s arms wound around his neck and he pulled her up against his chest. Her heart was beating just as hard as his, and her skin felt so hot against his. Her fingers raked through his hair and scratched his scalp and the jolt went straight to his groin. He groaned against her lips, sucking her tongue deeper into his mouth and biting it. She crashed her mouth even harder into his and her hips thrust against his throbbing cock. Involuntarily his hips jerked against hers and another jolt went straight to his crotch and he gasped. If they kept this up he was going to embarrass himself.

But he couldn’t stop. One hand dropped to her waist while the other held her the back of her neck, keeping her mouth locked onto his. They were both gasping for breath in between dives into each other’s mouths, their hips grinding against each other. Felicity circled her hips against his erection and his desire morphed into an all-consuming fire.

He jerked his mouth away from her, holding her head to stop her from chasing his mouth.

“Felicity,” he panted. “We’re reaching the point of no return. I can’t do this. I can’t take advantage of you like this.”

She panted back at him, her eyes desperately searching his. She made an anguished noise in the back of her throat and her head fell against his chest. He realized they were both trembling, their bodies thrumming with their desire. 

“I know, “she panted, twisting her head against his chest. “I know all the reasons why this is a bad, bad idea. It’s too much too soon, but I’ve wanted you for so long.” She raised her head and locked her eyes onto his. “I’ve loved you for so long,” she said fiercely. “I know we have to wait, but I don’t want to. I really, really don’t want to.”

“It’s the heat,” he said, anguished. “I don’t want to admit it, but it is.”

“It’s not just the heat,” she insisted. “Yes, it is heightening things, but it’s not just the hormones.”

He gripped the back of her head again and looked deep into her eyes.

“Felicity, can you honestly say that you won’t regret it if we do this? Can you really say that you won’t wonder if we did this because of your heat? Because I don’t want you to have that regret. When we are finally together, I want it to be without hesitation or regrets. It means too much to both of us.”

Tears filled her eyes. 

“No. Damnit, no!” She looked away from him and shook her head vehemently, and then she stepped back, dropping her hands. His body keened at the loss of her touch. He took a step back, and another, his heart aching. She swiped at her eyes and drew in a long breath.

“Okay,” she said, her voice cracking. “We’re adults. We can do this.”

He nodded although it was the last thing he wanted to do.

“I should go. I’m leaving, “ he amended. He drank her in one more time with his eyes and then he turned away from her. He strode quickly towards the gate, his long strides eating up the winding path as quickly as he could without breaking into a jog. Tears burned in his eyes but he blinked them away. He had to get past the guard. Then he could go back to the bunker and try to work out his frustration and sadness. The boxing dummy again it was. Or maybe the salmon ladder. He would see if he could break his record for most number of times doing it in a row before he fell to the floor. The only way he would sleep tonight was if he pushed himself past the point of exhaustion. He couldn’t even think about the rest of the week.

The guard saw him coming and opened the gate. He saw sympathy in the guard’s eyes. The man was guessing that either the Omega had rejected Oliver or that he had arrived too late and another Alpha had stepped in. An Omega very rarely switched Alpha’s during her heat. If an unmated Omega couldn’t reach a center or didn’t have someone she could rely on, they could and would find whomever they could and if it took multiple Alphas they would do it. He didn’t know an Omega, male or female, who liked it, but Mother Nature could be a real bitch.

He nodded curtly at the guard and stalked towards his bike. He had to get out of here. He had to get as far away as he could. He had rarely drowned his sorrows in alcohol, but tonight was definitely a candidate for an exception.

He straddled the bike, willing himself to ignore the sensation of the cold, hard steel pressing against his throbbing cock. He had to think of what she needed, what was right, what they both needed for the future. He turned the ignition and felt the engine roar to life, the vibration surging through him and hardening him to a second level of pain. He sucked in a breath of the crisp air, and kicked the kickstand up.

“Wait!” he heard a strident female voice cry. He hadn’t put on his helmet – fuck it – and jerked his head up towards the sound. Felicity, barefoot and looking ravished by their mutual desire, stood in the middle of the closing gates. The guard vigorously punched the button to reverse the closing sequence and openly gaped at him. Oliver growled and then refocused on her. He killed the engine and dismounted the bike.

She was more beautiful, more alluring than ever. His heart surged in his chest, and somehow, his cock throbbed harder. Damn the biology of the moment. Yes, he wanted her, but he loved her more. His want was on multiple levels. He didn’t just want her body, although he wanted every part of her moaning and aching and clenching around him. But more than that, he wanted her soul and her heart to meet his, and join with him. Damnit, what was happening to him? How had he turned into this aching, desperate pile of feelings and desire?

She ran through the reversed open gates until she was in front of him. He could feel the warmth emanating from her body, and it took everything he had not to grab her and press himself into her. Instead, he forced himself to stay still, although he knew his eyes were broadcasting everything he felt.

“I—I know, in my head, that this is a huge risk. That, on paper if you will, this is a bad idea,“ she said, her eyes imploring him to listen. “But here,” she tapped her heart, “I feel –I know that it isn’t. We don’t just want each other. We aren’t just caught up in hormones and pheromones and basic biology. We know each other. We respect and we love each other.”

She took a deep breath and continued. 

“I went through the options, and I chose an Alpha. I’m good at it; I know what works for me and I know how to pick the Alpha that will answer that.”

Oliver flinched and swallowed the bile that rose in his throat. He wanted to kill the unnamed and unseen man she had chosen. He wanted to destroy him. That man could not have Felicity; the woman he loved.

“But,” she continued. “I don’t want some other man. I know he, because he is an Alpha, will fulfill my heat,” she swallowed hard, and Oliver felt his heart plummet at her words. “But he will not reach my heart…or my soul.” She swallowed hard again, and held his breath. “I can’t do that; not when my heart belongs to you, and I know yours belongs to me.”

Tears and the strongest more visceral longing he had ever felt rose inside him and suffused every particle of his being.

“Are you saying,” he whispered, “That you want me to share your heat? Right now, right here?”

“Yes,” she whispered, stepping close to him. “Yes; with all of me, yes.

“What about tomorrow? Or next week?” he croaked. “What about when the hormones and desire fade?”

“The desire isn’t going to fade for either of us,” she said firmly. “And neither is the love.” She paused, and her eyes dropped. She turned her head slightly, strongly aware of the guard who was making a point of looking like he wasn’t listening but clearly couldn’t help but strain to hear their words. “Oliver, my heat isn’t going to stop because I want it to, or because the timing is bad. But, I can’t be with another man, another Alpha. Not when I know you love me, and want me as much as I do you.”

"Felicity," he closed his eyes and swallowed, hard. "I...I know this is sudden and extreme, but," he opened his eyes and looked deep into hers. "I don't just want to share this heat with you. I want..I want us to be Mates."

Her eyes flared.

"Oliver are you sure? Because that can't be undone. Fifty years from now, we will still be Mates."

"I am sure, but I don't expect you-"he said firmly.

She pressed her lips against his.

"I'm sure. I have no doubts If you want to be my Mate, there is nothing I want more."

He crushed himself against her and claimed her mouth.

The moment gave Felicity the complete belief in his words. Fuck the guard who was turning his head but was watching out of the corner of his eye. Forget any consequences, because she was certain that they were going to come through this just fine. They were always stronger together, and now that the air was cleared, and they were being honest with each other, they were unstoppable.

She jumped and wrapped her legs around his waist, knowing he would catch her and hold her against him. It wasn’t his erection that thrilled her, although she couldn’t wait to feel that hardness in her hand and her mouth and most of all, inside of her. It was knowing that she was about to make him hers in every way. This wasn’t just going to be just a heat. This was going to be them bonding, mating, in every way and if it was sudden and risky, so what. They belonged together and she didn’t doubt that at all.

“Oliver,” she said pulling away from his thrusting tongue and swollen lips. “We’ve already broken the rules by getting physical outside the center. So, we need to go up to my room, I need to cancel “Sam” the medical student, and we need to have each other completely. And at the end of these days, we are going to belong to each other, and I am never, never going to go through a heat with anyone else again. I am going to be your mate, and you are going to be mine, and when we are done saving this city, we are going to have the life that we deserve and we are going to raise a family and love each other until we die.”

“Yes,” Oliver panted against her lips. “I’m going to brand you as mine and you are going to brand me as yours. We are going to take our most visceral selves and meld our bodies, our love and our souls. I don’t just want you, Felicity. I need you. I need you now.”

Felicity bit his lip hard and he drew in a sharp breath.

“My heat shouldn’t completely hit for a few hours," she whispered "But I want us to be together before it arrives. I want it to be just us before it is Alpha and Omega. Oliver, make love to me.”

He didn’t care who was watching or if it wasn’t allowed. He pulled her tighter into his arms and strode towards the gates that were already open. Maybe they weren’t the first pair to finally acknowledge their feelings at the penultimate moment because the guard seemed to know exactly what to do. He spared the man a glance and gave him a thankful nod as he carried the love of his life through the gates and then up the path to the right where they were going to consummate their love. It wasn’t in a place or a way that he had ever imagined, and he doubted that she ever had either, but it was going to be perfect because it was them, and he knew in his bones that they were forever.


	5. Just Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's finally time to express how they feel about each other. In every possible way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter earns the Explicit rating. What can I say; I like smut as long as there is a story. No beta; all mistakes are mine. Enjoy!

The room was spacious, with a kitchenette and a dining area. Past a half-wall topped with semi-opaque bricks on top was the king-sized bed. The sheets were folded back and there were mints – honest to God mints – on the pillows. He guessed that the management was attempting to give some nod to decorum to whatever pair was in the room to viscerally and carnally pursue their needs. He would have rolled his eyes but he had a writhing Felicity grinding against his cock and he wasn’t going to spare the energy.

He set her on her feet at the foot of the bed. She locked her eyes with his and stripped off her shirt. His eyes zeroed in on her heaving breasts, encased in a nude, lace-covered bra. He wanted to rip it off, but he suspected that she wouldn’t appreciate him destroying her lingerie. She reached out and stripped off his shirt. He flexed as she raised his arms and allowed her to yank it off of him and throw it to the ground. He unbuttoned her pants, his desire burgeoning as he pushed her back onto the end of the bed and stripped them down her toned legs. She yanked off the bra unceremoniously. 

She reached for his pants and his cock jumped, straining towards her fingers. He let her make quick work of his jeans, and then pulled her flush against him. Two extremely thin pieces of fabric were all that separated them. He devoured her mouth as she arched up against him. Her tongue thrust into his mouth and he grabbed it and sucked hard. She slammed her hips into his and he thrust his fingers into her hair and pulled her mouth even harder against his.

They came up for air and he dived for the side of her jaw, leaving a trail of kisses and bites across it and down her graceful neck and shoulder. He wanted to mark her, to suck her soft skin into his mouth and suck until his mark rose to the surface of her skin and declared his claim. He resisted the urge, as he resisted the urge to bite her hard at the joining of her neck and shoulder. He could not do the mate bite until she was in full heat and she had given him permission. His head spun at the idea of being mated to her. For some it was a physical, visceral thing that did not include emotion. People could mate but not love each other. They fulfilled something more primal in each other, but didn’t feel a heart or soul connection. He had figured this is what would happen to him. He would meet an Omega and want her, even need her body and her Omega, but not love her. Thinking that the woman he loved was a Beta, he had envisioned himself never loving anyone except her. It had been a grim prospect, especially since he had told himself that he could never have Felicity. Now that this moment had arrived, everything he had not dared to want was possible, and it was heady and surreal.

“Oliver,” she moaned, and reached her hands into his boxers. His breath caught as her soft fingers closed over his straining erection. They both exhaled hard as her fingers encompassed and stroked him. 

His head dropped to her shoulder. 

“Oh god,” he moaned. “Oh god, yes.” She slid her fingers up and down his cock, gripping more firmly at the base and swirling her fingers along his length and over the velvet-soft head, her finger pads sliding smoothly over the slickness of his pre-cum.

Unchecked, he thrust into her hand and she pumped him up and down, swirling, tightening, taunting until his legs were jelly, and he pushed her back onto the bed and followed her to stop himself from collapsing. He grabbed her hand – a little too roughly – and pulled it away.

“You have to stop,” he panted. “I’m too close.” He swooped down and captured her mouth. His fingers hooked into the waistband of her lacy black underwear and pulled them down, her hips arching to make it easier for them slide off. She quickly divested him of his boxers.

He tossed the underwear across the room, pushed her further up the bed, and kissed both breasts, pulling her hardened nipples into his mouth one at a time and then working his way down her abdomen. He swirled his tongue inside her belly button which made her giggle, and then went to where he wanted to go most. 

He rubbed his nose into her curls, inhaling the intoxicating scent that was Felicity and an Omega close to her full heat. His dick swelled painfully and he almost cried out. He had never been this hard, throbbing so that it felt like his skin would split. With any other woman he would have plunged inside her already, doing everything to make her come with him. But Felicity was another matter. He needed to taste her as much as he needed to be inside her.

He licked her outer folds, not put off at all by her wiry covering. She was natural and un-waxed just as he had fantasized. His tongue darted out to brush against her clit, which sent her hips thrusting into his face. He moaned then, but only allowed his tongue tip to stroke it for a moment. Then he ventured lower, his tongue darting and retreating, breathing her scent deep inside his nose. His Alpha howled inside him. HE would mark her. He would mate her. No one would ever touch her again, and no one would ever touch him again. When the time was right he would breed her and watch as she grew round with his children and brought them into the world. 

She was whining and thrusting as he tasted and teased. Her hands grabbed the back of his head and pushed him into her. She growled as he paused, and it was his undoing. He used his fingers to spread her wide and dived in. He grabbed her clit in his teeth and sucked, hard. She screamed and thrust her hips up as high as she could and held them there as he devoured her. He speared his tongue into her swollen heat, licking, sucking, dragging his scruff against her folds. She had been wet to begin with but now she was slick and slippery, her arousal wetting his face.

“Oliver!” she moaned. “For God’s sake, please.”

“Want to take my time,” he panted. “I’ve wanted you for so long.”

She yanked his head up, locking her blue eyes with his.

“Yes. Gold almighty, yes. But I want you now, and I swear to every god, if you aren’t inside me in five seconds, I am going to throw you off this bed and out of this room.”

His eyes narrowed and an evil grin split his face.

“Oh, I don’t think so. But, you don’t have to tell me twice.” He surged up her body and grabbed her legs, pulling them around his waist. He slowly leaned down and kissed her lips. They were soft and swollen and so very hot.

“I love you,” he whispered. “I am going to spend the rest of our lives showing you that.”

“I love you,” she whispered back. “And we are going to have the rest of our lives to show each other that.”

Their eyes, full of love and want, locked. She reached down and positioned him against her opening. And then, slowly, reverently, he pushed forward and penetrated her. His eyes fluttered shut for a moment as she encompassed him. The symmetry of a man and woman’s body never failed to amaze him, but this was a whole different experience. He felt her accept him, welcome him, and he felt for the first time that he was home. He pushed deeper and she opened herself more until he was completely seated, his tip pushed up against her cervix; the place where one day he would put his half of the miracle that was life and they would become a family.

“We feel amazing,” he breathed against his lips.

“Yes, we do,” she murmured, and then she started to move and he couldn’t help but join her. At first it was slow and deep as they gazed into each other’s eyes. And then, she thrust up harder and a sharp bolt of desire shot through him. It was echoed in her eyes and he knew what she wanted. He put his head down, his lips on her collarbone and he moved. He had strength and size and desire, and he filled her with all of them. 

Sweat slipped off of them, their flesh sliding together, muscles straining. She whined low in her throat. He groaned, increasing the pace. Her fingers raked his chest, scraping over his nipples, which sent his hips pistoning into her even harder. He leaned down and sucked hard on a nipple until she screamed his name. He switched to the other one and thrust faster. She reached down and rubbed her clit furiously and he pushed her fingers aside and did it himself. Her hands started raking his back and his butt. He pulled her legs up over his shoulders and she chanted, “Yes, yes!”

Her walls were undulating against him, squeezing and pulling, and he was losing control. He panted into her neck.

“I’m close,” he stuttered. “Felicity, are you close?”

“Yes,” she ground out, her lips and teeth attacking his neck. “Rub harder and don’t stop.”

He rubbed her clit in a tight, hard circle, and thrust himself as deep as possible into her. He bit her bottom lip and pinched her clit at the same time.She slammed her body into his, her back bowing, her head thrown back, and her orgasm ripped through her. A sudden, vice grip grabbed his spine, traveled down his cock and his shoved himself up against her cervix and he came. He came hard and fast, and he couldn’t catch his breath. They strained and ground and heaved together, nerves screaming and muscles contorting. It went on and on, sweat slicking their bodies thrusting against each other bringing only pleasure and release. 

He could tell she wasn’t completely done, and he hiked her hips up with his hands and held them under her ass, and then he pounded into her. Instantly she came up off the mattress and screamed his name. She screamed and screamed as her second orgasm squeezed his cock so hard he thought he would pass out, and a second orgasm tore through him, and he lost all thought. He drove into her like a wild animal, and she gripped him with every muscle she had, milking his ecstasy, demanding that it join with hers inside her body. It went on and on until it couldn’t anymore. 

They collapsed. He was buried deep inside her, softening as her walls slowly slackened. Their heavy breaths shuddered in and out as they slowly came down, their slick flesh molded to each other, no room between where they began and ended.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've finally joined Twitter. You can find me @WriteReal1. Follow me and I'll follow back.


	6. Mates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I so enjoyed writing this chapter. My Muse took over and I like what she did. This feels right even without the A-O factor. I feel like this is the Oliver and Felicity on the show. They are so much more together.

He awoke with a start. It was time. She was asleep, but moving restlessly in her sleep. Her heat had truly begun. He left the bed and relieved himself and then debated about what to do. Should he let her wake naturally, or should he wake her himself and let them begin the process of sharing her heat? He quietly made his way towards the bedroom. 

She settled the question for him, sitting up, gloriously naked, her pert nipples peaking over the covers when he stopped. 

“It’s here,” she said simply, but he could see that from the deep flush on her cheeks and the sheen of sweat on her forehead.

“I know,” he replied, but stayed rooted to the floor just on the other side of the half wall. This was her choice. No matter how throbbing and hard he was, no matter how every cell in his body cried out for her, he would not make the next move.

“Oliver,” she said, her voice low and husky with need. “Will you share this Heat with me?”

He took a single step forward. “Yes,” he said, his voice just as rough as hers.

She took a deep, shaky breath and hesitated.

“Ask,” he breathed. “And I will answer.” He paused. “If you want to.”

“Oliver Jonas Queen,” she said, her voice suddenly full of strength and demand, reciting the ancient words. “Will you be my Mate? For life, even past death? Will you bring to me the progeny from our joining to strengthen our future?”

“Yes,” he said, striding forward until the tops of his thighs pressed against the bed. “I will be your Mate. I will give you the seed of my body to join with yours to create our future. Our family. I will protect and cherish them with every breath in my body.”

Felicity rose onto her knees, her naked body glowing in the moonlight that shone through the window. She beckoned him forward until he joined her on the bed, towering over her as he knelt. She reached out and he clasped their hands together and leaned forward until their chests pressed into either side of their joined fingers. She tilted her head up to him.

“I, Felicity Megan Smoke, Omega, willingly bind myself to you, Oliver Jonas Queen, Alpha, until our lives are at an end. With you, I will bring our strength into our future. I will bear your children, and raise them with you. I will seek no other. I will accept no other. You are my Mate, and I am Yours.”

He took a deep breath.

“I, Oliver Jonas Queen, Alpha, willingly bind myself to you, Felicity Megan Smoke, Omega,” he repeated, his voice ringing in the quietness of the room. “With you, I will bring our strength into our future. I will give you children, and raise them with you. I will seek no other. I will accept no other. You are my Mate, and I am Yours.”

In the silence that followed a tendril of golden light appeared between them. It wound around their clasped hands, brushed first against her chest and then his. They stared into each other’s eyes, spellbound and wordless. Neither would ever see this again. Even if one died tomorrow, they would only mate once. The golden light rose until it floated between them, brushing against their lips. Felicity breathed out and Oliver did the same. They caught each other’s breaths and then they inhaled, taking in each other and the golden light.It was warmth and love, softness and strength. Oliver cried out even as he pulled that warmth in, and he felt Felicity in that warmth as at the same time he was within her, surging down into her lungs, into her blood, racing through her body, learning and knowing it as she learned his.

Felicity arched up and back as all of Oliver’s spirit filled her. He was hot and vital and pulsing blood-red with strength. He strengthened her even as she filled in his gaps and made him stronger. They melded. She sank into his flesh, his muscles, his being. She would be his strength. She was his blood, his soul. They would never be separate again.

They opened their eyes and stared into the other’s golden-lit blue eyes. He could feel her emotions; her love, her wonder, the tinge of fear, and the overwhelming excitement, not only to complete their bond, but for the future.

“I love you,” he said. It was not a part of the ritual mating. It wasn’t required, but it was his truth, and he must share that with her now more than at any other time.

“I love you,” she said fervently. “I will always love you.”

He reached out and cupped her face. “Felicity, my love, my Mate, I need to seal our bond. I know that we are not ready for a child, but I need to mate with you. I need to join our halves even if we must thwart their union in the end.”

She reached out to him. “I have already taken the medication that will prevent us from conceiving,” she said. “But, in all truth, my Mate, I wish I had not.”

His eyes flared, the gold obliterating the blue. “Are you saying…?”

She nodded. “Yes. I want that. My body and my soul crave that even as I know it can not happen now…”

He yanked her forward, his forehead pressed against hers.

“It can!” he said fiercely. “Say the word, and we will leave here and raise a family now. I am ready, Felicity, my Mate. I will forsake all else for a life with you.”

Tears brimmed in her eyes as she stroked his cheek. “No, my love. No matter how much my heart wants it, and my body cries out for it, we have important work to do. Work that only we can do and that must be done before we turn our life to our own desires. That is who we are, and I accept it.”

He turned his head to kiss her palm. “Then I respect your decision.”

She smiled, and then tugged on his neck until their foreheads touched and their breath mingled. “Then let us seal our Mate bond. Make love to me, Oliver. Join us forever.” 

Then Felicity gripped his hands, communicating her… fear? A cold tendril sluiced down his body. He looked fervently into her golden-hued eyes. 

“Oliver,” she had shakily. “Are you…are you sure? I’m not…I don't know if I can be enough in the long run. Now, in this moment, I feel that I can, but in the years to come…”

“Fel-i-ci-ty,” he said, softly, his thumbs stroking the sides of her face. “I have never loved anyone as much as I love you. In fact, I’ve never loved before even though I thought I did. What we share is so much more than physical, but even if it wasn’t, your body, your passion; they capture me. I have never felt less worthy and yet wanted to try so hard to be.”

“What if you get bored? You…you haven’t had a long term relationship where..” she bit her lip, and her eyes dropped.

“Where I’ve been faithful,” he finished her sentence. “It’s true. But,” he tilted her chin up until their eyes met. “I have never waited two years to be with someone. I’ve never been so afraid to go after the relationship. I’ve never put the friendship that I treasure before the desire, and I’ve never felt the unstoppable love that I have for you.” He gripped the sides of her face now, his thumbs still and pressing into her soft skin as he tried to impress upon her just how completely he meant this. “I know, with every fiber of my being, that you are it for me. There will never be anyone else.” 

He faltered, tears stinging his eyes, his chest tight, his eyes downcast. Her fingers were on his face now, forcing it up until their eyes met.  
“I want to be worthy,” He whispered. “I want to give you everything you deserve. You are my always, and I just want the chance to be yours.” He took a shuddering breath and pressed his forehead against her. “I want to live, Felicity. I want the future that you want. I think…maybe…because you think it…that I do deserve it. Even if it is only because I am the one you choose.”

She pulled his head up and pressed her lips against his. Despite the urgency, it wasn’t sexual. It was so much more than that. Their lips brushed, pressed, and their teeth gently nipped. They breathed together. Then they both pulled back, the golden glow in both of their eyes that wouldn’t abate until they sealed their bond, shone.

“I’m ready,” they breathed at the same time, and then they shared a soft laugh.

It was more than physical, more than emotional – it was other. It was something they would never feel again and couldn’t describe. That was why it was so revered and sought, because it only happened once. No matter how many years passed, no matter what the rest of their relationship was like, a mated pair never forgot or described the moment their mate bond completed. So many, too many, didn’t get to experience it. Those that did were respectful and grateful.

It was true that it took intercourse – even with same sex pairs – and a bite – to seal the mate bond. It was beyond ancient, it was primordial and even the most ancient history couldn’t point to its origin. (Although so many people tried, and how they tried.) It just was, and in a world of technology and gratification-on-demand, it was the rarest of things. It was debated and commercialized endlessly, but inside the privacy of the two participants, it was still an indescribable and revered thing.

So when Felicity pulled him down to mesh their mouths and wrapped herself around him, Oliver’s spirit – his Alpha – surged forward to meet her Omega. When she rolled them until she was straddling him, and his hands were locking onto her ass and then her hips and pressing them flush, her Omega shot forward to twine with his Alpha. They were bathed in an ethereal golden glow. It covered their skin, inhabited their eyes, and rode on their breath. 

It was long and slow and unlike anything either had ever experienced. Felicity felt every cell in her body meld with Oliver’s. She felt her spirit and her heart entwine with his. She felt the pulsing strength of his cells, his muscles, his will blending with hers. It was nothing like what she had expected and so, so much more.

When she slid herself down around his length and he arched his back, pushing his hips up and forward to completely fill her, her head fell back exposing her neck and a soft cry flowed from her lips.

“Mate,” she breathed. “Make us one.”

He sat up and his length shifted inside her and she moaned. Yes, oh yes, she wanted that deep, hard, pulsing part of him deep inside her. But the connection they sought was more. Oliver pressed his forehead against hers and they shared breath.

“Mate,” he whispered. “Let us seal our bond.”

“Yes,” she said, her voice low and thick. 

He started to move, pulling her hips forward and thrusting up as he pulled her down against him. Their hips ground against each other and she threw her head back again, her alabaster skin glowing in the dim light. His Alpha growled and her Omega keened in response.

Their pace quickened. One of his hands closed around her right breast and the other slid down to her clit and began rubbing it in a circle. She moaned then, pressing the back of her head against her shoulders. Her hands sought his hard nipples which she pinched, and then her right hand migrated to the back of his head where she grabbed a handful of his hair and tugged – hard. He shouted out her name and pushed up harder and pulled her down, spreading her as wide as she could go, her hips aching and stretching.

They moved – they breathed – they joined until their bodies were ready. Her inner muscles tightened and tightened again. She felt his base swell and harden as they surged towards their mutual climax.

His finger stilled on her clit and then pressed straight down. She arched back and her hand reached back and pressed against that vestigial flesh at the bridge between his manhood and his tight opening. They both cried out. 

She threw herself forward and finding his right shoulder, sank her blunt and strong teeth into the muscle between his neck and shoulder. The skin broke and his copper blood tickled her tongue. Oliver shouted and bit her hard, deep into her muscle. She felt his teeth pierce her skin, felt her blood on his tongue and then…

There were no words. Nor should there be. This was beyond…everything. It was holy without dogma, reverent without scripture, visceral without mortality. Felicity-Omega and Oliver-Alpha ceased to exist. They were One. Nothing, not death, not time, could or would separate them. They gave themselves completely. 

Even as their souls and their spirits joined their bodies completed the physical act of coalescence. Oliver filled her, she completed him, and she climaxed with a scream that tore from her throat and went on and on, her lips and teeth still locked onto his flesh until her throat was raw and no more sound could come forth. Oliver roared, deep and guttural, his mark tattooing her skin and cementing their beings together as he pumped his seed into her, every fiber of him wanting to get her with his child. 

They Mated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My dear, delicate Muse likes feedback and company. Come and find me on Twitter @WriteReal1 and if you liked the story, please share the link. This is not the End. Not even close.


End file.
